Homelessness: Breaking The Stereotypes

It is no secret that most stereotypes stem from some truth. But I am here to tell you about a stereotype made up out of total ignorance and convenience. I am talking about the stereotypes that form many peoples opinion of the homeless population.

In my life I have studied and worked with homeless people through class projects and volunteering. Through my interactions with the people in the homeless shelters I have found that a lot of our society's view of the homeless population is distorted. Yet, countless times I hear people say "Oh homeless people choose to live on the street..." or "Homless people need to stop being so lazy and get a job!" If I had a nickel for every time I confronted one of these people about their jaded opinions...well I would probably have enough money to feed the homeless population.

Okay, not exactly, but that is because there are over three million people without a place to live every year in just America alone. I feel that those who call the homeless lazy don't realize that half of the homeless in America actually do work and most of that half work more than one job. Also many homeless do not work because they are children. Yes, a recent study showed that one third of homeless people in America are in fact children.

Many like to justify the lack of help the government and the fortunate people of America give to the homeless, by saying that "it is their choice" and "they can get help if they wanted it." This justification could not be further from the truth. First of all, the most common causes of homelessness in our country is not choice and laziness, but factors such as untreated mental illness, lack of affordable housing, poverty, and loss of job (for reasons such as injury or downsizing).

Secondly, a recent survey shows that contrary to popular belief, most cities claim that they do not have the resources to provide help and shelter for homeless persons. 52 percent of the cities surveyed say that their shelters turn people away some or all of the time.

So what is it you can do to help your fellow man that some of our society views as lazy, worthless and less than human? Well, I am not asking you to give your life savings to the next homeless person, but I do have some ideas of how you can help to combat an increasingly terrible problem in the "land of opportunity?"

For starters, you can help to curb the ignorance of those who buy into the incorrect stereotypes of the homeless by presenting the facts. You can also go out into the community and donate your time and resources to local shelters. And lastly, and most importantly, when you come into contact with a homeless person, treat them with compassion because chances are they are either very sick, or have been through hardships that most of us fortunately do not encounter.